This invention relates to improvements in tattoo technology, and particularly to compact battery-integrated tattooing machines, new subassemblies for providing battery integration to known tattooing machines, and to new methods for practicing the art of tattooing.
Professional tattoo artists demand high quality equipment. This has led such artists to an almost universal adoption of the type of tattooing machine (with but modest modifications) as described in Waters U.S. Pat. No. 1,724,812 of Aug. 13, 1929xe2x80x94a teaching more than 70 years old. A significant feature of the old Waters teaching is that it employs a vibrating armature bar for effecting reciprocating motion of the tattoo needle assembly, including the needle bar of that assembly. The important feature is that the needle assembly of the tattooing machine vibrates or reciprocates in a straight up and down line parallel with the longitudinal direction of the needle assembly, and this is to be distinguished from tattooing instruments that employ a rotating motor for effecting the needle reciprocation. The instruments that employ rotating motors tend to create a wobbly effect for the reciprocation of the tattoo needle. Such wobbling of the needle tends to cause an oval-type puncturing of the skin of a person undergoing the tattooing procedure and causes more tearing of the skin than necessary and much more than when the ideal tattooing instrument is employed that does not have wobbling of the needle. The ideal tattooing instrumentxe2x80x94known for over 70 yearsxe2x80x94relies upon electromagnets and a make and break contact mechanism to effect reciprocation of the armature bar to which the needle assembly is directly connected and thus reciprocates as a unit with the armature bar.
What is amazing is that the use of a battery as an integrated part of a hand-held rotating motor tattooing instrument has apparently never triggered any consideration of a battery as an integrated part of hand-held professional tattooing equipment. Whatever the explanation, professional tattooing machines of the type capable of effecting un-wobbly reciprocation (where the reciprocation is effected by an armature bar vibrating over electromagnetic coils) have employed power units separate and remote from the tattooing instrument or machine and with the remote power connected by a clip cord to the tattooing machine. Also, a rheostat for adjusting the power supply and a foot switch for power have been part of the remote power unit for easy foot on and off operation to actuate the reciprocating needle motion while the tattoo artist is employing his or her hand carefully to move the needle tattooing instrument and create a tattoo. The problem, however, with these known professional equipment arrangements is that they are bulky and there is always a drag on the tattooing instrument or machine caused by the clip cord connection to the remote power unit. The drag tends to pull the tattooing instrument out of balance and interferes with the ability of the tattoo artist to create artistic tattoos of finite definition and proper depth for color retention, etc.
Despite the fact that the cord of the clip cord has been a complaint of tattoo artists for ages, no one has heretofore proposed any effective solution to avoid the clip cord and the drag caused by it. Suppliers of the type of tattoo equipment illustrated in the aforenoted Waters patent as well as the artists who use that type of equipment have seemingly concluded that the known bulky equipment (with clip cord and gauges and the like associated with it) is vitally necessary for the professional tattoo artist to get the strength of xe2x80x9chitxe2x80x9d on the skin for proper ink penetration and that therefore a clip cord is required and thus no possible convenient equipment free of clip cord drag could ever be satisfactorily used to create truly artistic tattoos.
This invention changes that 70-year history and gets rid of the clip cord drag and clumsiness.
It has been found that regardless of the type of power unit employed, the power needed for operating professional tattoo machines of the type aforenoted must be at least about 9 volts and generally at least about 12 volts. When the voltage is lower, the needle reciprocation is weak and the definition desired by the tattoo artist is reduced and becomes unsatisfactory.
But the truly important point of this invention is the striking advantage provided by getting rid of the annoying clip cord drag for the true tattoo artist.
This invention provides a compact tattoo instrument free of any drag by an electrical clip cord or the like, and an instrument adequately powered for high definition tattooing. A significant aspect of the solution to the old clip cord problem is not just integrating a battery into a compact unit. Much more is needed, for the control (and easy switch operation) has to be integrated into or associated with the compact unit in a manner not interfering with easy removal of the metallic barrel or needle bar housing as well as the tattoo needle assembly from the instrument for the purpose of effective, thorough sterilization. Thus, any finger switch integrated with the compact assembly has to be separate or separable from the barrel or needle bar housing and yet has to be accessible to the fingers of the operator or tattoo artist who also must grip the barrel or handle part of the needle housing in creating an accurate and fine definition tattoo.
An exceedingly important aspect of the invention is its teachings for electively positioning a switch useful for a tattoo operator in a manner suiting the operator""s convenience and yet in a manner that maintains maximum accessibility for the operator creating a tattoo. The invention also gives the advantage of rheostat adjustment separate from a switch for controlling the reciprocation of the tattooing machine. The convenience of a finger switch and a flexible cable having the resilience to return to a preset condition is also a teaching of the invention.
And the convenience of remote radio control for a tattooing machine having a battery integrated in the structure of the machine itself is also a unique feature of the invention.
Still further, among the teachings and practices of the invention are special assemblies designed especially for attachment but removable attachment to tattooing machines of the professional type. And this is accomplished in a manner to enhance the economy of the professional tattoo artists in their conversion of existing equipment to the unique clip cord-free tattooing instrument or machine of the invention.
Still other advantages and benefits of this invention will be evident as this description proceeds.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagrammatic side view of the new compact tattoo apparatus, with many details omitted from view so as to permit great clarity for the showing (the side view is frequently referred to herein as the xe2x80x9cfrontxe2x80x9d side);
FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 are schematic diagrammatic front, back, and rear views of a known waters-type tattooing machine with special detail clearly illustrated so as to enhance understanding of the teachings of this invention dealing with the varied attachable subassemblies for integrating battery power with a tattooing machine in a manner that provides a total composite easily handled by the tattooing artist without having parts slipping around or shifting and causing disruption of balance; it is to be noted that the needle bar housing as well as the tattoo needle assembly have been omitted from FIG. 2 et seq. solely to reduce the space needed for illustrations; those known elements are show n and illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5A is a front view of the rear part of a known tattooing machine, and
FIG. 5B is a front view of one type of subassembly for attachment to the known tattooing machine; and these figures are shown in a spaced relationship to enhance understanding of the way the subassembly is attached to the known tattooing machine;
FIG. 6 illustrates a composite battery-integrated tattooing machine of the invention formed by attaching the subassembly of FIG. 5B to a known tattooing machine as illustrated in FIG. 5A;
FIG. 7 is an alternate form for a subassembly attachable to a known tattooing machine in the same manner as illustrated in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a still further altered subassembly attachable to a known tattooing machine in the same manner as illustrated in FIG. 6; and FIG. 8 is especially important as an illustration of a radio-controlled switch operation for the tattoo machine;
FIG. 9 is a still further possible arrangement for a subassembly attachable to a known tattooing machine in the manner illustrated in FIG. 6, and illustrates a front view of a battery-integrated tattooing machine having a grounding ring for contact with a grounded needle bar housing to form a switch for operation of the composite tattooing machine; and
FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a box-like subassembly housing that functions as a subframe suitable for the subassemblies illustrated in FIGS. 5 through 9.